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Enhanced Combat Leader: Beyond Overlord
Enhanced Combat Leader: Beyond Overlord Is a multi-player game modification for Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts that emphasizes tactical combat, realism, and historical accuracy by allowing players to command and deploy company size forces throughout the Normandy Overlord Campaign, players get to create and command authentic WW II Battalion Level formations. Through the advantages of the Relic essence engine players can enjoy a new game experience with many dynamic features that emphasize tactical command and control and exploits the dynamic elements of the living soldiers system by providing player squads many new ability enhancements which allow players to execute advanced tactical combat strategies, players can also execute squad level tactical orders and unit abilities in a smoother more intuitive way. Total Coversion Features There will still be logistical buildings. The starting Headquarters will continue to serve a purpose; you still need build to infrastructure such as Barracks, Tank Depots, Kampfkraft centers, or any other base building. All units arrive from off the map. Nothing is built on the map, but is requisitioned from the appropriate structure and enters the game from the starting entrance road in your territory. You buy upgrades for your force. However there is an expansion to the upgrade progression tree which unlocks abilities and units this will change the progression of how old Company of Heroes abilities like "Escalate to Skirmish" unlock abilities and additional unit upgrades, which preserves the need to build structures such as Supply Depots (which will still be necessary in order to unlock units and additional formations.) but there are imposed limits preventing you from deploying powerful units initially, as well as cost and hard cap limits that all units have. In addition to these major points, there are a few more game play changes. You cannot build a single unit endlessly. There is a hard limit on the number of any particular unit that can be deployed during a game, and this limit varies depending on the company the player chooses (More on that in the other updates). This represents the reality that there is no infinite reserve of anything in an army. Off-Screen artillery can target enemy troops and hardened positions. The way Artillery is handled has been modified to work through special observers that direct artillery units to barrage the targeted area. If the observers can't see the target, the artillery can't fire on it. The observer's ability to call in an artillery strike has been modified, and special abilities that make all artillery of the specified type to fire on the enemy (Similar to Victor Targeter) have been added to both the axis and the allies. Infantry and weapon teams automatically conceal themselves when in cover. Infantry in light cover or better automatically disappear from view until you get within a certain distance of available cover, allowing them to sneak around the battlefield and ambush enemies but units do not retain this ability to remain concealed when in the open. Historical accuracy - Doctrine is guided by strategic analyses, Military planners actively shape the viability and effectiveness of a military institution they and their decisions are directly responsible for the strength and weaknesses of a military/industrial complex and guide its development each step of the way. These leaders shape the institutional mentality of their forces and gain influence through reputation to affect innovations or other subtle changes. If a doctrine is flawed or half-heartedly implemented; the experiences gained will be hard won through costly attrition of forces against decisive counter-attacks and overwhelming defenses. Through massive assaults and rigid defenses high casualties develop; and although success is achieved eventually it leaves your forces shattered and barely combat effective. Military Command and Control - This aspect of doctrine analyses the strengths and weakness your Command and Control Hierarchy and its ability adapt to effectively to the influence of tactical innovations in a changing battlefield environment. The Enhanced Combat Leader method of play uses command personalities for squads these special characters within the squad give the squads access to a wide range of abilities, equipment upgrades, and provide combat modifiers which affect their unit’s combat effectiveness. Tables of Equipment & Organization - Historical tables of equipment & organization will provide detailed listings of the units weapons load outs to enhance realism and create an immersive experience, providing players with multiple game upgrade options that are both historically accurate and dynamic, impacting the combat effectiveness of the squads. The Enhanced Combat Leader weapon damage model has changed to the way weapon damage is handled in Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts these enhancements directly affect the game mechanics of combat to provide greater realism and a better game experience.The differences between Enhanced Combat Leader and Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts is that the options players enable through the use of command points enable requests for reinforcement assets such as specialized infantry, artillery, and tank reinforcements; the selection of command options also unlocks unit abilities, weapon, and upgrades that enable special effects which enhance the combat effectiveness of units. Command Doctrines - Command Doctrines enable abilities that encapsulate the requisite authorization for off-board reinforcements or off-map artillery support. Most advantages of the old doctrine systems now are encapsulated in a tiered design structure by which modifiers are integrated into cost/penalty -, benefit/bonus + architecture, which is then made available to units using a series of perquisite/requirement {conditional encapsulation}. The emphasis of Doctrines will focus on tactical strategy within the framework of historical "Doctrinal" limitations which are hard coded and beyond the players ability to control; the framework of the game orients players to conform their style of play and make the best of each formations inherent strengths and weaknesses rather than change these limitations. At the beginning of the game, every player must choose a unit command that predetermines what type of Company is available before they can begin deploying units. Your choice of the unit command type can only be chosen at the very beginning of the game and determines what units are available and in what quantity, you cannot undo your choice or pick another once you have made your unit command selection. The availability of equipment is based off actual Tables of Organization and Equipment (TO&E, or KStN for German companies) in use during World War II. Your choice of unit command also determines what Corps or Divisional assets are available to your company for purchase. There are requirements that effect how the core elements of your companies are made available for purchase. A nominal strength company is compromised of a Company Headquarters Platoon consisting of 2 or 3 Command Squads each with 6 to 12 men (restricted by the company type selected by the player) from this minimum core of units players form the nucleus of their companies combat forces expanding the size of each force to field support gun teams, basic transports, and other assets. If you want to field heavier assets like armor, you'll need to need to select the appropriate command menu options that meet the requirements necessary to bring your infantry company up to moderate strength and enable the availability of these additional assets for deployment. Players expand the core elements of their companies through the purchase of infantry squads which initially are nominally equipped and must be upgraded as the game progresses if a player sustains losses through combat it will be necessary to bring in more assets to replace casualties. Developers Diary LOS: I have increased maximum Line of sight ranges for units based on the categories of class for example all tanks have smaller sight ranges to detect objects on the battlefield and almost no chance to detect hidden squads or snipers, while infantry have the best chances to spot objects at the longest ranges and have very good chances at spotting hidden units or snipers. Maximum range visible to detect objects for tanks is 35m when the tank is "buttoned up" and 45m when "unbuttoned" because crews in vehicles with semi-exposed fighting compartments have better sight ranges than crews in enclosed fighting compartments. However infantry troops can see very far the maximum range visible to detect objects 65m. Infantry Combat: Suppression is far more prevalent weapons dealing variable rates of suppression, so the rate-of-fire is key. That is why all machineguns and some types of infantry squads have suppressive fire ability which increases the rate of fire, lowers weapon accuracy, and increases the rate of fire, and suppression a weapon causes temporarily. Certain types of Infantry Combat Critical's for machineguns and artillery can cause units morale to break in combat this will cause units to flee to the nearest rally points. Rally Points and Medical Aid Stations can be built in territories to rally all broken squads in an area. Medical Aid Stations can now also reinforce wounded/KIA units a squad incurs during combat. The Infantry Combat Critical, The most common Infantry Combat Critical is the casualty; weapons also have a variable chance to kill an enemy unit outright. Casualties last for a long time to give medics a chance to save them. Other types of Infantry Combat Critical for cannons and artillery can cause a unit to be stunned in combat which causes units a decrease in rate-of-fire and weapon accuracy penalties. Cover in Infantry combat. Cover reduces the accuracy, damage, and suppression a unit receives. The heavier the cover the better the protection from the effects of received damage, suppression, and being pinned, so flanking fire will be essential to victory. Infantry Stealth when units are in cover they will automatically hide from enemy units. There are two types of cover the first is light cover, this cover over gives you visual concealment. When your men find this kind of cover they will automatically go prone and camouflage, this will provide them with ½ protection bonuses however when moving about they will be spotted quite easily, also once revealed it will take longer for them to become concealed again than if they were concealed in heavy cover. However, some units (like snipers) will have better camouflage skills and will be harder to spot when hidden. The second kind is heavy cover, provides ¾ protection bonuses and can be concealed from any enemy unit on the other side (see LOS script thread), but if any enemy units do not have the wall or other obstruction directly between them your units will be spotted intermediately. Tanks and Tank Critical Tank damage is based on realistic penetration values cannons and artillery can cause a unit to be stunned in combat which causes units a decrease in rate-of-fire and weapon accuracy penalties. Cannons and artillery can cause a destroyed engine and immobilized will also make the tank actually be stuck. Cannons and artillery can cause a unit to have the commander killed and the vehicle losses all external mounted machineguns and suffers reduced rate of fire penalty on all weapons. Cannons and artillery can cause a unit to kill the gunner and destroy the main weapon (unit cannot fire main armament). Cannons and artillery can cause a unit to have the driver killed and the vehicle goes out of control and explodes.